


Labels

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Series: The Odd Trio [4]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anne is mentioned, Asexual Billy Bones, Biphobic OC, Gay Bar, Gen, Jack is mentioned, Silver is mentioned, discussion of sexuality, oc self-labels as gold star lesbian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 04:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12403491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: At a bar, Max meets a woman with some narrow views on sexual orientations, leading her to discuss matters with Billy (however Anne takes a more direct approach to bisexual erasure)





	Labels

Max blinked a few times. "Excuse me?"

Despite the music, Max was pretty sure what she'd heard however.

"You know. A lesbian." The woman, pretty, nicely dressed, who'd introduced herself as Cindy, fluttered her eyelashes at Max in what she surely thought was a seductive manner.

"That is not what you said. You called me 'a gay'," Max protested. As if it was her function, her essence. The way you might talk about an object.

Cindy tipped her head. "And?"

"I don't like being referred to that way."

"Sorry," Cindy said, without sincerity. "You're lesbian then."

This place might be known as a gay bar but it wasn't exclusively for gay people and certainly wasn't a Lesbians Only establishment. Max decided to push further.

"What if I'm not?"

Cindy's eyelashes fluttered again but this time in confusion.

"The question you should be interested in is if I am attracted to you," Max pointed out, "rather than who else I may or may not be."

Cindy frowned, one hand unconsciously moving to her cleavage to draw Max's attention there. It worked for barely a second.

"But you're a ga-a lesbian or you're straight," Cindy said finally and tipped her head again, as if the curve of her neck would be enough to sway Max.

Max's eyes narrowed. "Let me tell you something about who I am attracted to. Not. You."

She turned on her heel and stormed off, finding Billy sitting in a corner, tapping his feet to the music. He'd danced for a while but was currently taking a break and enjoying a beer.

"You okay?" he said, seeing her anger.

"That woman!" Max jabbed a finger at the offender before flinging herself into a seat and lapsing into an invective that was almost entirely in French.

Billy was immediately on the defensive on her behalf, which she found touching despite her rage. "What did she do?"

"Nothing," Max said, before he went to loom over Cindy in a threatening manner. "It's just…this obsession people have with labels!"

Billy relaxed a little. "What do you mean?"

She gestured, frustrated. "What is the need? Why must I choose a narrow category to be defined by? If I want to be queer I will be queer!"

Billy stared at her for a long moment, took a swallow of his beer. "I like having labels," he said at last. "Being able to talk about being asexual, about if you're biromantic or heteroromantic or homoromantic. If you're bisexual, demisexual; both. All the various ways you can feel attraction, romantically and sexually. And then people get upset about the labels because why do we need them, you're gay or you're straight and that's it? But it's not it. You just used 'queer' and that’s a label people are arguing over and asking even if it’s appropriate."

Max's expression softened. "Of course there should be labels," she conceded. "But there's a difference between those you develop and choose for yourself and those people thrust upon you, limiting who you are. Making assumptions about you!"

Billy nodded. "No argument here. I've had my share of bullshit assumptions for being ace." He drained his glass and gestured to the bar. "You want a drink?"

She shrugged. "Sure." There was no point letting Cindy force her to leave.

While Billy went to order, Max checked her phone. She had three messages from John: "I'm sooo bored."; "Billy should help with stock-take he can reach things I can't it's not fair" along with a sad face emoji ; and a photo of some boxes rather dangerously and in some cases seemingly randomly stacked with the caption "TETRIS in real life."

Max grinned and was about to reply when Billy returned, empty-handed.

"We should probably leave," he said.

"Why?"

He sighed. "That woman who upset you? She tried to seduce Anne. Batted her eyelashes and offered Anne the 'rare chance' to be with a 'gold star lesbian'."

Max winced.

"Yes,” Billy said. “Anne slapped her, so I think we should leave. Jack's trying to get Anne out the door now before security steps in."

Max suppressed a smile. "All right." There were plenty of other places they could go to after all and the night was young, and the city full of possibilities.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> There are many discussions about use of the term "queer" and its history; here are a few:  
> <http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/32213/1/tracing-the-history-of-the-word-queer>  
> <http://www.thebowenstreetpress.com/bsp-blog/2017/9/21/the-queer-queer-y-violent-slur-or-the-language-of-liberation>  
> <https://wetwareproblem.tumblr.com/post/142244849631/queer-is-not-a-slur>  
> <http://mckitterick.tumblr.com/post/158275277235>
> 
> There's a video with a full transcript titled "6 Reasons We Shouldn’t Say ‘Gold Star Lesbian’ or ‘Platinum Gay’"  
> <https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/09/gold-star-lesbian-platinum-gay/>
> 
> While an article [It’s Time to Dump “Gold Star” Labels"](http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/03/28/its-time-to-dump-gold-star-labels/) explains:  
> " By stating that a lesbian is “gold star”, it ignores lesbians who may have experimented with their sexuality, are survivors of sexual assault, and is extremely transphobic, biphobic and cissexist."
> 
> Fic promo post at [tumblr](https://meridianrosewrites.tumblr.com/post/166543067712/black-sails-fic-labels)  
> Phone fic art rebloggable [here](https://meridianrosewrites.tumblr.com/post/168018102052/meridianrose-black-sails-modern-au-illustration)


End file.
